Caster for drying-racks for shoe factories.



N0. 860,650. PATENTED JULY 23, 1907.

I. E. FLETCHER. CASTER FOE DRYING RACKS FOR SHOE FAO'l0RIES.

APPLIOATION FILED 810F126. 1906.

Wt WESSA'S //vL E/v 779/5 4 2%1 [9,4 5 [ZLTCHEB tively clean.

-from a base 2 and IRA FLETCHER, or MONTEL i a rsiu r OFFICE L 0, MASSACHUSETTS.

(EASTER FOR DRYING-RACKS FOR SHOE FACTQRIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jul 23,1907.

Application filed September 26, 1906. Serial No. 386,280.

To all 'u'llom it mug concern:

lic it known that l, IRA E. Fnuifirusu. a citizen of the lnited States. residing at Montcllo, in the county ot'l'lymouth and State of lllassachusctts, have invented an llnpt'oveim-nl. in (asters for Drying-Racks for Shoe Factories. of which the. following description, in conncct ion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification. like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

(ircnt dilliculty is experienced in shoe factories in connection with the casters commonly employed for the shoe racks. The floor is more or less littered with threads, dirt. cclnenl-snH'ul'cd scraps of' leather, shoe linings etc. and other linty and stringy debris, so that it. is found to'bc practically impossible to run the shoe racks over the floor for any length of time without the casters fouling and clogging so as to impede or entirely stop their rotation.

Various kinds of castershave been devised with the object of automatically cleaning themselves but without satisfncloev "results for the purpose in question. My caster, whiclrforms the subject of this patent, accomplishes the desired results by a special coinbination of scrapers with depending side walls of special angles and constrtu-tions and overhanging supporting the usual situation in clogging and fouling housing, all cooperating to meet shoe factories and prevent the referred to. v

In the turcompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmcntary view representing in side elevation the relation of my caster, when in proper position, to a usual shoe rack: Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in side elevation, parts being broken away and shown in secti n for clcnrncss of illustration. Fig. 3 is an end view t iereof looking iHWllltIIllfl left Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the caster. Fig. 5 is a sectional view o n the line 55 Fig. 23

A shoe rack consists of comer uprights 1 extending spanned at frequent intervals by crow-supports lijiaving slats, not shown, for retaining the shoes in separated position, so that when fully loaded with shoes it is very heavy. These loaded I racks are shoved along from one operator to the other as the shoe progresses in its various operations through the factory so that the casters which support the rack have to pass over the various littered places in the, factory, some of which are littered with cement covered scraps and others are littered with cloth scraps, pieces of thread, string etc. and others with leather shavings, waxy trimmings etc. and my invention resides in thenrmngement of parts and their shape-and combination so that the caster will maintain itself free and compara- On asuitable screw plate 4 is formed a circular dcpending integral flang 5 in which is mounted cupshaped carriei (l'whose vertical flange 7 bears against t I. g

points 12 and 13.

the depending flange 5 and extends upwardly nearly to the base plate-4 and retains any convenient form of roller bearing. 8. This carrier cup is secured by a screw bolt 9.

tlentrally projecting from the bottom of the carrier (litre parallel supporting walls or checks '10, l l. which extend the entire width of the part. 6 between the These supporting checks or plates carry at their lower ends a wheel l4. Said plates oxtcnd obliquely at 15 ap 'iroximately tangentially of the wheel and curve around snugly against the side edges of the wheel throughout the entire periphery thereof excepting at the very bottom to where they are cut off slightly at 17 parallel to the floor so as merely to provide projecting roller surface snlliciently to permit. the caster wheel to pass over a small heap of rubbish for instance. ltis necessary to have the wheel .14 project slightly in this manner as the weight of the rack will compel it to sink more or less into any small collection of refuse with which it may meet in its progress over the floor of the factory. The checks project beyond the wheel slightly so as to cover the entire sides of the whecl as indicated at l8, l9 and the wheel is pivoted at 20 approximately in vcrtical linc with the roller bearings, sothat the entire bearing area of the wheel where it engages the lloorcomcs just within the interlocking cup-shaped projecting flanges 5, 7. Also the wheel is as close to the carrier 6 as possible leaving only room enough to interpose opposite spring scrapers 2.], 22 whose securing ends are clamped between the bolt 9 and the cup-shaped carrier 6. Said scrapers 21, 22 are relatively short as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and get a strong bearing comparatively close to their free ends by reason of their engagement with said carrier 6, and in width they span the entire distance between the opposite cheek plates 10, H.

In use, notwithstanding the great weight of the loaded shoe rack and the necessarily foul and dirty condition of the floor, I have found that the caster will maintain its own proper condition,larger pieces of leather and other foreign substances being warded oil by the lower inclined projecting edges of the side walls or checks 10, 11, and even thread and other filaments or slender debris being prevented from winding round the moving wheel by reason of the scraper like cut away portions l7at the bottom of the cheeks, which bear against the edges of the peripheral web oithe caster wheel as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, and any cement or dust and dirt which sticks to the bearing surface of the wheel is sure to be scraped off by the opposite scrapers according to the direction In which the wheel is revolving. Said scrapers cannotv get out of alinement with the periphery beeiusethey.

are held snugly between the checks l0,1l against lateral movement, and are held firmly down by their close, short, engagement with the carrier 6. By reason of the overhanging construction of the upper parts. and the close proximity thereto of the caster Wheel, the latter is prutectedirom fouling on account of any dirt or debris which may be dropped en masse or kicked 5 .agninst the rack. Also the deep depending flange 5 land the inwardly extending eupnhziped carrier, nested fenn glj' together, prevent any fouling of this portion of j hie eaetepeo thnt it. is maintained. in free running con- 41 on at nil times. i

'Hfi-VhQ desciibed my invention, what I desire to by Letters Petent is:

A; water for shoe racks comprising a base plate provided with means for securing it to the holtom of a rack nnd having a'circnlm' depending flange, a cup-shaped car 15 tier plate mounted within said depending flange substantinily'iinsh with the bottom thereof, anti-friczion hearings suppoi'tet'i within said carrier to engage said base plate,

de ending flanges or cheeks extending centrally from said tinily to the'bottom and covering substantially the entire sides of the wheel, being cut away slightly at the bottom ot the wheel parallel to the floor, said wheel extending close to the meeting edges'of said carrier and depending hnse flange. and apposite nm'ing scrapers bearing against said carrier and held snugly at their edges between the said depending cheeksnnd engaging said wheel in opposite directions close to said carrier.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to'this specltieation, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IRA n. FLETCHER.

Witnesses C. E. BACON, Gnu. H. MAXWELL. 

